


Helping Hand

by sohydrated



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, First Time, Somnophilia, don't you wish you could read your partner's mind in bed? well now you can!, give me chubby elves or give me death, no beta we die like men, this is soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:01:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23719372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sohydrated/pseuds/sohydrated
Summary: "Cole takes a breath. Holds. Releases. He tries to think of what her future may look like when he feels a pull. Soft at first, but then a tug so hard it feels like a hand knotted into his hair and reeled him back. This hurt is different. Throbbing, thrilling, threatening to burst but won't stop building. He stands, lets the call guide him until-"Or, enjoy this super old WIP I never had the courage to post
Relationships: Cole/Female Inquisitor, Cole/Female Lavellan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67





	Helping Hand

It was early. Or late. He wasn't sure. Sleeping was more familiar now than it had been in the beginning days at the Spire, but there are even more people here in these castle walls, and so many of them ached. He heard them, hounding, helpless, hurting and looking somewhere for relief. There were so many hurts that could not be mended in the day time; faces floating behind eyes and scenes of violence frozen in time. He wishes he could slip through into their minds and clear out these memories, but it is not as easy as it had been when he was less solid, less real. He kneels next to a sleeping young woman whose teeth he could hear grinding even before he reached her.

"You aren't there anymore. They cannot touch you. We will keep you safe."

Barely audible, but her jaw unclenches all the same. The worries are still there, there are too many hurts tangled together for him to untie, but rest helps her heal. She will be better. Soon.

Cole takes a breath. Holds. Releases. He tries to think of what her future may look like when he feels a pull. Soft at first, but then a tug so hard it feels like a hand knotted into his hair and reeled him back. This hurt is different. Throbbing, thrilling, threatening to burst but won't stop building. He stands, lets the call guide him until-

He hasn't been here before. The rug is thick and his feet sink into it. Curtains hide high windows that otherwise welcome the sun. He looks around for the one who cast the line. Behind him, another pull. On the too-large bed lies Riel, curled with her arms around a pillow, covers kicked off.

Looking at her now she is so bright that Cole can't see her hurts. He never can. The ones she remembers are hidden by her face and the ones that she hasn't found are hiding behind her mark. But he can feel this. He sits on the foot of the bed and closes his eyes. As if listening for a mouse in the wall, he strains to hear what was behind the initial pull. She is so tired. How can she be tired when she is already asleep? Her face is still, no gritting teeth or furrowed brow that the other woman had. Riel looked peaceful, beautiful. Her soul of course was beautiful, even without the mark he could feel her need to help, to soothe, much like his own. That was not a surprise to him. But in that moment, her tight curls framing her placid face, her lashes resting on her full, tattooed cheeks, he felt a warm fondness wash over him.

He felt that pull again. This time, he caught a glimpse. In her dream, Riel was asleep in bed. She must be tired to dream about sleeping. Cole reminded himself to plant some lavender under her balcony, now that he knew where it was. Maybe he would tuck some into her pillow. In her dream, Riel was alone, but she felt hands ghosting over her. They tangled in her hair, ran along her legs, and sunk into her plush hips, holding but not holding tight. Riel let out a contented hum that startled Cole. Then the hands disappeared. The barest hint of a frown crossed her face. In her dream, she reached behind her, feeling for her imaginary partner to come back to her. Cole felt the tug that brought him here again. Riel must want someone with her, he guessed. He has more than once seen the people of Skyhold miss the feeling of sleeping next to a partner who had passed. Riel had no partner. She must be lonely, like he was before he met Rhys. He remembered the drowning feeling, like if no one was around to see him then he would sink out of existance.

Cole gently rose and walked around the bed, he placed his hat and shoes next to the post before he eased in. If Riel needed someone to hold her, he could easily do that. He thought back to their talk at the café in Val Royeaux, how she had heard his fears and cared. She knew who he was, what he was, and worried still. His chest tightened. Compassion for Compassion. He wrapped an arm around her waist. In her dream, Riel felt light, like floating. She did not need to reach out, her bed mate was there. Cole relaxed muscles he didn't know were tense. He closed his eyes again, content on resting with her. Another pull, and with him touching her, Cole felt himself more easily see her dream. The arm around her drifted up, and gently held her breast. She smiled, settling back and letting the hand caress her and roll her nipple between two fingers.

Cole tensed again, unsure of what he could do. The body in her dream had no face, but it certainly wasn't him. His mind paused as he felt her weight on him as she leaned back into his embrace, so solid and sure. Holding his breath, he slowly slid his hand up her side, feeling the soft material of her night gown. He placed a hand on her breast, just as she showed him in the dream. Like the rest of her, her breast was so soft, giving a bit under the weight of his hand. He trailed his fingertips over a nipple, through the thin material of her gown. Next to him, Riel hums. He feels the floating sensation again and rolls her nipple between his fingers. Riel sighs, leaning more firmly against him. Cole feels his mouth go dry. He knew what this was. He could feel it, like soft singing, in her mind. He had read over Cassandra’s shoulder when she secretly snuck Varric's book to the top floor of the armory. The woman in the book was happy whenever she made love with the one she cared for. He wanted Riel to be happy, to feel loved like she made so many feel.

Riel’s dream lover slipped the hand back down her body and teased the hem of her gown, and Cole followed. He felt very warm, and wished he could remove his overshirt, but was focused on watching what Riel’s mind showed him. The hand pushed up her nightgown, and slid forward, toward the curls between her legs. Cole did the same, and was surprised to find them slick. He forgot about following her dream, and slid his fingers lower to feel more of it. When he brushed a bud, Riel bucked into his hand. He was so startled he would have removed it If not for her own hand moving to cover it. He looked up toward her face to find her still sleeping. He moved his middle finger over the bud again, two small circles. Riel moaned and pressed his hand close to her, rocking her hips. Her rocking meant she was rubbing up against his crotch, and he could feel himself growing hard. The small noises she made and her mind echoing her pleasures only worsened the matter. He kept moving his hand. This was for her. For a brief moment, he wished he was more spirit than man, the enjoyment and the guilt of his body responding to her nearly equal. Nearly.

He felt that same building he had felt when he first felt her pull, but this time he knew it would break. He sped up his hand, determined to get her there. If he also happened to grind his hips on her, he didn't notice. Moments later, Riel froze stiff, save for small twitching against Cole's hand. She then settled blissfully against him, more relaxed than he'd ever seen her.

Cole was amazed, the sense of tugging was gone and the loneliness gone with it. He smiled and pushed his face into her hair, taking a moment to smell her sweet scent and take joy in his work. He moved to slowly draw his hand from between her legs, only to find that her hand was still holding him there. He knew his job was done, that he had helped, but it didn't stop his curiosity. He let his fingers trail further between her legs, still entranced by the slick feeling of her arousal. When he found her entrance, he lightly pressed a finger in, just to the first joint. He could hardly handle how it made him throb. He could feel himself leaking, even in the short time he had been more real, Cole had become familiar with what Blackwall called a “natural drive.” He knew he should leave, should take his hand from Riel, but couldn't.

Instead, he moved his finger deeper into her, curling it upward experimentally. He again felt the worry that he was taking instead of giving to the one woman who truly saw him. In that same moment, Riel rocked ever so slightly on his finger, her mind alive with images of a lover inside of her. Her body was so hot Cole felt like he was burning. He couldn't stop himself, he worked his finger in and out of her, feeling his whole hand become slick. Her body seemed to be pulling him in, the echo of _moremoremore_ a demand, not a request. His second finger slipped in so easily, and he kept going at his desperate pace. He felt her tighten around him, and didn't even notice when he let out a small moan.

Riel noticed, at least some part of her. In his mind's eye he could see the anonymous lover taking shape, his shape. Cole stopped moving. The Inquisitor, who could have anyone in the world, was dreaming of him now. What had previously been hands moving without purpose became his slender fingers inside of her, drawing out. The scene changed, now an image of his cock between her thighs. Her hand, now moved to hug her pillow again, left his free to draw out of her.

Cole, who only minutes ago was overcome by this shame, was now frenzied. His hand, covered in her arousal, fumbled with his pants to finally, finally, free himself. He took his member into his hand and gasped and the current that went through him. He moved back to be flush against Riel again, with as much composure as he could muster, he slipped in between her thighs. It took everything he had to stifle the moan that followed, even just the warmth of her, the wetness dripping from her core, was too much. He kissed along her bare shoulder, something that felt so natural despite being so new. He moved, just a shallow thrust, and understood the pulling that led him to her in the first place. It would not take long for him to build, then break. He kept moving, small, rocking thrusts. He reached around to touch her again, to see if he could get her to break with him as well. His fingers quickly found her bud and rubbed in circles as he had done before.

Riel let out a true moan, which snapped him out of his trance. Her hand reached down, past his, and her legs moved as she grabbed his cock and guided it to her entrance.

"Cole, please."

At any other moment he would have been able to notice when she awoke, but his mind felt overheated. He pushed the head into her slowly, unsure if this was now a dream of his. She reached back and pulled his hips toward her, into her the rest of the way. She shuddered at the feeling. He was staring at her, her face still as blissful as it had been when he first came to her, yet her eyes glazed over, looking at him, lusting for him. It felt too much. He closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder, holding her hip as he rocked in and out of her. He could never have imagined this feeling, being wholly inside of her, feeling how much she wanted him. He needed to please her. His fingers again found her bud and rubbed frantic circles to try and keep up with her.

"Yes, yes, just like that."

Her voice was breathy, the husky whisper from the mix of sleep and desire. He felt intoxicated by it. He kept his pace, trying to focus on her pleasure so as not to cum. It would be too soon, this was supposed to be for her.

"I'm close. Please, don't stop."

She was so tight around him, pulling him into her as she came. His own orgasm hitting him, spilling into her before he could even react. The breaking was intense, he felt it through his entire body, holding her so close they were one and the same as he rode it out.

Dazed and panting, he pulled away from her, fumbling to sit up. He had taken too much, this was something for lovers to do and though he felt foggy from the high of his release, he couldn't escape the fear and shame.

"I-I am sorry, Riel-Inquisitor! You were hurting and I was helping, supposed to be helping, and I-"

"Cole." Her voice soft and gentle, always gentle with him. He turned to face her, struggling to look her in the eye.

"You did help. I wanted this so terribly. Will you stay with me? Please?" He stared shocked, meeting her eyes to find them no longer clouded by sleep or arousal but clear, glimmering and honest. She was always honest.

"I, yes. I will. I want to, too."

She smiled, her shoulders slumping in relief. She moved toward him and undid the buckles on his shirt, pulling it over his head and encouraging him to take off his trousers. She pressed a kiss to his lips, simple and sweet.

"Come to bed."

He did, letting himself be guided back into holding her, his arm wrapped around her with their fingers intertwined. And for the first time, Cole let someone else ease him to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever post! I've been sitting on this since 2018, but with more time on my hands I decided to finish it and post it to prep for a future fic I'd like to post. Feedback welcome, I'm new to this!


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